Anybody cares to share some info?
There are some jobs there and I was interested few years ago (my wife said NO NO NO...) - so I didn't go. From time to time my feet are burning for some work outside the US...
Thank you,
2win

A friend of mine looked at it after residency. They wanted him to be board certified and have at least 3 yrs of experience. By the time that occurred he was very comfortable in PP so he never went. The economy took a dump there too. Things might be different.

Junior Member

A friend of mine looked at it after residency. They wanted him to be board certified and have at least 3 yrs of experience. By the time that occurred he was very comfortable in PP so he never went. The economy took a dump there too. Things might be different.

Anybody cares to share some info?
There are some jobs there and I was interested few years ago (my wife said NO NO NO...) - so I didn't go. From time to time my feet are burning for some work outside the US...
Thank you,
2win

Ether Man

One of the people that I work with now used to work in Saudi Arabia. $22,000/month. No tax. 8-12 weeks of vacation, I can't remember exactly. Free housing for you and the Fam in "the American/European compound". They also paid for 2 round trip flights/year "home" with the family. The hours were "reasonable" as well. Do the math, def over $400k with generous vaca and good hours. Not too shabby. Try to find that deal here.

Last edited: Apr 9, 2010

Regards,
Il Destriero.“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”.

One of the people that I work with now used to work in Saudi Arabia. $22,000/month. No tax. 8-12 weeks of vacation, I can't remember exactly. Free housing for you and the Fam in "the American/European compound". They also paid for 2 round trip flights "home" with the family. Do the math. Not too shabby. The hours were "reasonable" as well.

Unless you're not coming back.
You can exclude up to $91,400, and up to $180,000 if your spouse works. Than tax on the rest. Still a good deal. You won't qualify as a "rich" doctor anymore under the new Obama tax code.

Last edited: Apr 9, 2010

Regards,
Il Destriero.“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”.

Saudia is a country where the royal family pretend to be the protector of Islam to justify their presence.
They are probably the most corrupt regime on earth but they insist on forcing the population to adhere to their version of Islam.
Alcohol is forbidden everywhere although all the royals drink freely in their palaces and on their frequent trips to Europe.
Women are required to be fully covered in all public places and not allowed to drive.
Any picture that shows a human form (including works of art) should be altered so it does not resemble god's work
They have a very strong presence of fundamentalism.
It's hot like hell.
There is absolutely nothing to do.
The UAE on the other hand is a whole different story: although they are an Islamic country but they are very open to modernization, they have beautiful cities, amazing restaurants and hotels, multicultural society where 80% are actually foreigners and the locals are only 20%.

Junior Member

concur with plank, after travelling in the mideast i cannot see many people from the us moving over there without an overriding reason (eg. family/origin ect...)
uae took a HUGE hit a year ago and came very close to defaulting , yes they employ foreign doctors but you will be competing with lots of indians/pakistanis/bangladeshis who trained in the west and moved there for visa/family reasons, so the field is not wide open.
saudi is comparable to the work on an oilfield platform , well payed but boring and unattractive... keep in mind that the country as a whole is no longer as wealthy and stable as it was twenty years ago , there are reasons why the 9/11 guys came mostly from saudi .
not to be condescending, but how many people here actually have lived and worked in another country ? maybe you came as tourists , but living and working in another countryand culture requires a completely different set of skills , not to mention to learn the language to fit in....
just my 0.02$
fasto

Support the ASA !

One of the people that I work with now used to work in Saudi Arabia. $22,000/month. No tax. 8-12 weeks of vacation, I can't remember exactly. Free housing for you and the Fam in "the American/European compound". They also paid for 2 round trip flights/year "home" with the family. The hours were "reasonable" as well. Do the math, def over $400k with generous vaca and good hours. Not too shabby. Try to find that deal here.

Ether Man

concur with plank, after travelling in the mideast i cannot see many people from the us moving over there without an overriding reason (eg. family/origin ect...)
uae took a HUGE hit a year ago and came very close to defaulting , yes they employ foreign doctors but you will be competing with lots of indians/pakistanis/bangladeshis who trained in the west and moved there for visa/family reasons, so the field is not wide open.
saudi is comparable to the work on an oilfield platform , well payed but boring and unattractive... keep in mind that the country as a whole is no longer as wealthy and stable as it was twenty years ago , there are reasons why the 9/11 guys came mostly from saudi .
not to be condescending, but how many people here actually have lived and worked in another country ? maybe you came as tourists , but living and working in another countryand culture requires a completely different set of skills , not to mention to learn the language to fit in....
just my 0.02$
fasto

The only places I would consider working would be Canada or Australia. Maybe the UK, but the cost of living to salary ratio is not that good. As the US salaries drop, the lifestyle, etc offered abroad will become more popular. Also, "what's a CRNA?". Lets hope it stays that way.
If I go to OZ, it's going to be a 1 way trip.

Regards,
Il Destriero.“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”.

Useless Member

The only places I would consider working would be Canada or Australia. Maybe the UK, but the cost of living to salary ratio is not that good. As the US salaries drop, the lifestyle, etc offered abroad will become more popular. Also, "what's a CRNA?". Lets hope it stays that way.
If I go to OZ, it's going to be a 1 way trip.

Isn't it really hard or almost impossible to work as a doc in Australia or the UK? wouldn't you have to redo your residency and sit through their board exams all over? Especially if you're not a citizen of that country. You'd be considered an FMG there and looked at as negatively as they're looked upon here in the US, meaning about 40% are able to get a residency and even then it's FP/IM/Peds/Psych.

I heard from a few Egyptians that worked in UAE that it was pretty easy for an American or American trained doc to work there and that US training is looked at very highly over there and your salary is much higher if you do your training in the US than if you would have trained in UAE.

However I heard from UK citizens at my school that for European countries it's almost impossible to go work there as a foreign trained doc especially if you're not a European Union citizen.

Membership Revoked

Isn't it really hard or almost impossible to work as a doc in Australia or the UK? wouldn't you have to redo your residency and sit through their board exams all over? Especially if you're not a citizen of that country. You'd be considered an FMG there and looked at as negatively as they're looked upon here in the US, meaning about 40% are able to get a residency and even then it's FP/IM/Peds/Psych.

I heard from a few Egyptians that worked in UAE that it was pretty easy for an American or American trained doc to work there and that US training is looked at very highly over there and your salary is much higher if you do your training in the US than if you would have trained in UAE.

However I heard from UK citizens at my school that for European countries it's almost impossible to go work there as a foreign trained doc especially if you're not a European Union citizen.

Junior Member

Saudia is a country where the royal family pretend to be the protector of Islam to justify their presence.
They are probably the most corrupt regime on earth but they insist on forcing the population to adhere to their version of Islam.
Alcohol is forbidden everywhere although all the royals drink freely in their palaces and on their frequent trips to Europe.
Women are required to be fully covered in all public places and not allowed to drive.
Any picture that shows a human form (including works of art) should be altered so it does not resemble god's work
They have a very strong presence of fundamentalism.
It's hot like hell.
There is absolutely nothing to do.
The UAE on the other hand is a whole different story: although they are an Islamic country but they are very open to modernization, they have beautiful cities, amazing restaurants and hotels, multicultural society where 80% are actually foreigners and the locals are only 20%.

This is a package:
A TYPICAL BENEFITS PACKAGE FOR PHYSICIANS
01. Contracts are 1 or 2 years and often renewable, offered as "MARRIED STATUS" 02. Family consists of a spouse, 1, 2, or 3 children according to hospital's policy. 03. Free furnished housing including utilities (But not telephone) 04. Free transportation to and from work and shopping via hospital transportation
05. Free Medical coverage 06. Forty (40) to fifty six (56) calendar days annual paid vacation, including public holidays 07. Airfares at beginning of contract and end of contract 08. Airfares (Return trip) to point of hire at the completion of 12 months of contract 09. Education Allowance for children (1 to 3 vary by hospital age 5 to 18 years) 10. End of contract bonus, either one month or half a month pay for each year completed (Vary by hospital) 11. Seven days emergency leave should you had to return home for a family emergency matter 12. Working hours 44 to 48 per week 13. Monthly salary may vary by hospital and position (But is always TAX FREE):
GP / ER (MD with 2 to 3 years experience) US $4,266 to US $4,800 Associate Cons. (Post post qualification degree with 1-2 years exp) US $4,800 to US $6,600 Consultant (Post post qualification degree with 3-5 years exp) US $6,400 to US $10,000 Chief or Head of Department US $10,000 to US $12,000
(3.75 Saudi Riyals = US $1.00; 3.67 UAE Derhams = US $1.00)
EXAMPLE COMPARING SALARIES AT HOME AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Income Home
Salary $250,000
Middle East
$96,000 4,000 (2 weeks pay) 8,000 (Self, spouse & 2 children)
10,000 (minimum) &up to US$30K for 3)
$00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00
$00.00
$130,000 $12,000
$118,000 + Education allowance for children
End of Contract Bonus Annual Airfare Travel Children Education
Expenses
00.00 00.00 00.00
Housing ($1,500 /mo x12) Utilities ($125 /mo x12) Transportation 4,000
Taxes (45%) Medical insurance Liability insurance Children education
Sub Total
Income less expenses Other Expenses (Food, etc.)
Income package
112,500 1,200 25,000 20,000
$182,200
$67,800 $12,000
$55,800
$18,000 1,500
TAKE HOME MONEY (Income package minus annual airfares & Education for children)
$55,800 $110,000 HOME Middle East

Ether Man

This is a package:
A TYPICAL BENEFITS PACKAGE FOR PHYSICIANS
01. Contracts are 1 or 2 years and often renewable, offered as MARRIED STATUS 02. Family consists of a spouse, 1, 2, or 3 children according to hospitals policy. 03. Free furnished housing including utilities (But not telephone) 04. Free transportation to and from work and shopping via hospital transportation
05. Free Medical coverage 06. Forty (40) to fifty six (56) calendar days annual paid vacation, including public holidays 07. Airfares at beginning of contract and end of contract 08. Airfares (Return trip) to point of hire at the completion of 12 months of contract 09. Education Allowance for children (1 to 3 vary by hospital age 5 to 18 years) 10. End of contract bonus, either one month or half a month pay for each year completed (Vary by hospital) 11. Seven days emergency leave should you had to return home for a family emergency matter 12. Working hours 44 to 48 per week 13. Monthly salary may vary by hospital and position (But is always TAX FREE):
GP / ER (MD with 2 to 3 years experience) US $4,266 to US $4,800 Associate Cons. (Post post qualification degree with 1-2 years exp) US $4,800 to US $6,600 Consultant (Post post qualification degree with 3-5 years exp) US $6,400 to US $10,000 Chief or Head of Department US $10,000 to US $12,000
(3.75 Saudi Riyals = US $1.00; 3.67 UAE Derhams = US $1.00)
EXAMPLE COMPARING SALARIES AT HOME AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Income Home
Salary $250,000
Middle East
$96,000 4,000 (2 weeks pay) 8,000 (Self, spouse & 2 children)
10,000 (minimum) &up to US$30K for 3)
$00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00
$00.00
$130,000 $12,000
$118,000 + Education allowance for children
End of Contract Bonus Annual Airfare Travel Children Education
Expenses
00.00 00.00 00.00
Housing ($1,500 /mo x12) Utilities ($125 /mo x12) Transportation 4,000
Taxes (45%) Medical insurance Liability insurance Children education
Sub Total
Income less expenses Other Expenses (Food, etc.)
Income package
112,500 1,200 25,000 20,000
$182,200
$67,800 $12,000
$55,800
$18,000 1,500
TAKE HOME MONEY (Income package minus annual airfares & Education for children)
$55,800 $110,000 HOME Middle East